The thousands of blazes in the Amazon rainforest have caused a public spat between Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and French President Emmanuel Macron, who has been vocal about the need for an international response to the fires.
The public spat has intensified due to Bolsonaro allegedly making “extraordinarily rude” remarks about Macron’s wife on Facebook, implying that Brigitte Macron was not as good-looking as his own wife, Michelle, according to The Guardian.
Bolsonaro was not happy that Macron had tweeted that the fires burning in the Amazon basin amounted to an international crisis and should be discussed as a top priority at the G7 summit. He accused Macron of having a “colonialist mentality.”
Rejection of funds
The special communications office for the Brazilian president told CNN on Tuesday that the country would turn down the money that was pledged at the G7 summit in France on Monday. Bolsonaro’s Chief of Staff, Onyx Lorenzoni, told the Globo news website: “Thanks, but maybe those resources are more relevant to reforest Europe.”
“Macron cannot even avoid a predictable fire in a church that is part of the world’s heritage, and he wants to give us lessons for our country?” Mr. Lorenzoni added, in a reference to the fire that hit Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris in April, reports The BBC.
Turning down the $22 million in G7 funds came after Macron had gone on French television Monday night reiterated that the Amazon was a global issue and intensified his criticism of Bolsonaro.
“We respect your sovereignty. It’s your country,” Macron said. But the trees in the Amazon are “the lungs of the planet,” he added.
“The Amazon forest is a subject for the whole planet. We can help you reforest. We can find the means for your economic development that respects the natural balance. But we cannot allow you to destroy everything.”
